-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sometimes , when you least expect it , the good guys win . Sometimes , the good guy is a woman -- a strong , wise and extraordinarily brave woman , such as Aung San Suu Kyi .

Suu Kyi , 67 , has led her people in a decades ' long quest for democracy in Burma , the country renamed Myanmar by a brutal military dictatorship , which now appears ready to usher in democratic reform .

At a time when the struggle against dictatorships elsewhere in the world seems to bring nothing but disappointment and bloodshed , Suu Kyi 's freedom and the richly deserved accolades she is receiving are a welcome reminder that nonviolence , smartly deployed and backed by powerful international supporters , can become a most powerful weapon .

This week , Suu Kyi made a triumphant and stirring return to the world stage , traveling to the West , her home for 24 years before she became an accidental leader of the revolution and the regime 's prisoner in her home in Yangon , the generals ' new name for Rangoon . Suu Kyi was received as a hero in world capitals . She spoke to the British Parliament and received an honorary degree at Oxford University .

But the most poignant moment of her five-country trip came when she delivered the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in Oslo , Norway . She gave the speech more than 20 years after her chair had stood empty on the stage during awards ceremony in 1991 , the year she won the prize , as she languished in isolation , enduring years of house arrest .

`` The Lady , '' as she is known among her countrymen and women , stands as one of the few genuine heroes of our time , someone in the mold of Nelson Mandela and Mohandas Gandhi , who not only inspired by their ideals and sacrifice but , just as importantly , who prevailed in achieving their goals against powerful foes .

There was always something mystical about the way the small , willowy woman struck fear in the hearts of the generals -- humorless men in starched uniforms , leading one of the world 's largest armies and most ruthless regimes .

Her family name was well-known at home before she became an activist . Her father , Gen. Bogyoke Aung San , was the hero of Burma 's battle against British colonial rule and a revered statesman .

During the first quarter-century after the military took power , Suu Kyi lived abroad , as a mother , wife and academic . But then her mother became ill . She traveled to Burma from her home in Oxford to care for her . Suddenly , she was in the middle of a revolution . When anti-junta protests broke out in August 1988 , she addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands at the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda Buddhist shrine in Yangon . She unexpectedly became the movement 's leader and her life changed forever .

She would spend 15 of the next 22 years as a prisoner in her own home .

The regime put down the uprising -LRB- known as 8-8-88 -RRB- killing some 3,000 protesters . Suu Kyi found herself as a top target of the regime . Even under arrest she managed to lead efforts to topple the dictatorship . The West looked to her for guidance . She looked to her Buddhist faith , learning to understand and endure her own suffering and keep her focus not on herself but on the larger goals of human rights and freedom for all . She told the West to maintain strict sanctions .

She feared the world would forget her , as she lived out her life in isolation under heavy guard on Yangon 's University Avenue .

In 1999 , when her husband was dying of cancer in Britain , the junta refused to let him come to Burma to say goodbye , offering instead to let her leave . She knew if she traveled abroad she would never be allowed to return . She stayed a prisoner in Burma and never saw her husband again .

Suu Kyi 's unique brand of `` realistic idealism '' appears to have succeeded in pressuring the junta to start relinquishing power . She won a seat in parliament in April elections , part of a slow process of promised democratization . She is preparing her party , the National League for Democracy , for general elections in 2015 .

Her personal story , closely braided with that of her country , proves that nonviolence is not just a philosophy , not just a moral stance . Instead , it is a tool that can bring heavily armed opponents to their knees .

The technique worked because her charisma , spirituality and moral courage inspired not only her people , but the rest of the world . That created the pressure to build international economic sanctions that eventually forced the regime to fold . There 's more to it , of course . China , the junta 's protector , overplayed its hand in exploiting Burma 's vast natural resources .

But the bottom line is that without international support , the strategy probably would not have worked . Without Suu Kyi , the world would not have known about the misery and repression that the junta had foisted on the Burmese people .

Nonviolence is not always a viable course of action -- its slow methods can run out of time , or simply fail against despotism -- but sometimes it can work .

I had counted myself as a skeptic -- until I traveled to Burma during the days when it all seemed hopeless and finally understood what her presence there meant to the Burmese people . In Burma and in the Burmese refugee camps on the Thai side of the border , I discovered just what Suu Kyi 's strength and personal sacrifice meant to her people .

She had become their only source of solace , their only reason for hope .

She was also their movement 's brilliant strategist .

In recent months , the generals who have ruled Burma since 1962 have declared their commitment to democratic change and have started loosening restrictions on political activity . The world is taking its cue from the woman who has become a moral compass . For years she was the one who insisted the West should not lift economic sanctions , even when that meant more hardships for her and her people . But now she says she cautiously believes the generals are serious about reform .

Ever the realist , Suu Kyi has warned against overconfidence , calling for `` healthy skepticism '' about reforms . But if she and her supporters do , in fact , forge democracy in their country , as now seems probable , it is because she was able to leverage her appeal to bring harsh international sanctions against Burma .

Suu Kyi has proven her wisdom . She has proven she is one of the few people who truly deserve to become a hero , an icon of their time . And she has shown , just when we needed it most , that even in a time of grim realities , heroes can win in the end .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis .

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Frida Ghitis : Aung San Suu Kyi 's quest for democracy inspires with its apparent success

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Ghitis says others struggling with dictatorships can look to her as reminder they can win

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She says Suu Kyi 's charisma and sacrifice made her a leader that drew world to her cause

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Ghitis : Suu Kyi has proven that she 's among few who deserve to be called a hero